HUNTLY coach Stacy Fiske is hopeful the shifting of the Hawks' recruiting focus to Bendigo-based players and in turn the chance to get more numbers on the track in the pre-season can reap its benefits in the Heathcote District league this year.

For the past decade the Hawks have had a contingent of key players travelling from Melbourne - including triple Cheatley medallist Ryan Semmel and tall forward Chris Gleeson.

But this year the Hawks will take to the field with much more of a local flavour to their side given the turnover of players during the off-season that has seen the bulk of the club's departures move to either Calivil United or Stanhope.

It's a list of outs that includes Ryan Semmel, Luke Semmel, Jake Semmel, Gleeson, Josh Harris, Blayne Ryan-Storey, Jacob Greenwood, James Fox, Jack Daley, Bryce Laird, Alex Daniels and Jordan Formosa, making for what will be a vastly different looking Hawks' side to the one that was an improved 5-8 last year and finished sixth.

"Halfway through last year we probably knew the Melbourne boys weren't going to be returning, so it has given us the opportunity to transition from what was a heavily-based Melbourne senior group to more of a Bendigo-based group," Fiske said.

"Our recruiting philosophy has been around making sure we've got home-grown players, but if there's any talent we're bringing in that they are Bendigo-based so we can get our full senior group out on the training track.

"Our Melbourne group has been fantastic over the past 10 years or so, but it has been a real eye-opener during the pre-season to have 20 to 25 senior blokes out on the track every night and the difference it makes to our gameplan and overall program in terms of everyone being on the one page going into the season."

The Hawks have brought in six recruits - Mitch Christensen (ruck/centre half-forward) from Mildura, Nathan Gracey (half-back/wing), who has a basketball background, Travis Mercadante (half-back), Tori Ferguson (midfield), Luke Gray (forward/mid) and Orion Downing (forward).

"We've picked up players who are in a really good age bracket in that 20 to 23-year mark and coming into their best footy," Fiske said.

"It has been good for our playing group to bring in some fresh faces and the boys have all been tearing it up on the training track in terms of their effort and intensity."

The pacy Mercadante, who has previously played with the Hawks, Ferguson and Gray have all come from Maiden Gully YCW, while the duo of Christensen and Downing will provide the Hawks with two key pillars in attack.

The Hawks will retain a similar defensive unit to last year with plenty of experience led by Fiske, assistant coach Tyler Miles, Matt Jeffries, reigning best and fairest Jay McDonald and Brandon Dimech, plus inclusion Mercadante.

"As far as expectations, I'd be disappointed if we slipped back from where we were last year... our aim would be to try to get up into that fourth or fifth spot," Fiske said.

By Kieran Iles

Coach: Emily Eliades.

Placing when season ended last year: Fifth.

Arrivals: Laura Parkhill, Sarah Chalmers, Taylor Mann, Serryn Eenjes, Maddy Curran, Molly Mathieson.

Departures: Ashlea Sherlock, Samantha Nelson, Taylah Sartori, Kate Cleary.

First game: at Heathcote (April 9)

A NEW-look and invigorated squad has been like 'a breath of fresh air' at Huntly, according to coach Emily Eliades.

The Hawks return just a few players from last year's A-grade team that finished the home and away season in fifth place and would have played Mount Pleasant in their first final.

They would have been well-prepared, thriving in a mini-final against North Bendigo just weeks before the season was eventually called off, winning 47-29 to secure their spot in the five, while effectively eliminating the Bulldogs from finals contention.

Among the returnees are steady goal shooter Chloe Fletcher, athletic defender Laura Gillespie and Sophie Disher, while Shelby Webster, who is recovering from shoulder surgery, is expected back sometime later in the season.

Into the squad comes Laura Parkhill, Sarah Chalmers, Taylor Mann, Serryn Eenjes, Maddy Curran and Molly Mathieson, while young defender Keely O'Brien, who has come through the Hawks under-17s and played A-reserve last season, will challenge for A-grade court time.

Eliades, who is in her sixth year at the helm at Huntly and has led the Hawks into finals in all four seasons played since 2017, is extremely happy with the new mix.

"We've had 15 new players join our squad, which has been really exciting," she said.

"At this point, our only returning A-grade players are Chloe Fletcher, Laura Gillespie and Sophie Disher.

"Just having some new faces across the board has been a breath of fresh air for us.

"We had 80 girls all up at tryouts, which is something I worked hard to do. It's not easy anymore, you really have to work hard at it.

"To get where we have with our squad I'm really happy."

Among the outs from last year's team, Ashlea Sherlock's steady presence in attack and on-court leadership will be sorely missed, as will Samantha Nelson down in defence.

With Taylah Sartori returning to Castlemaine and Kate Cleary gone, opportunities in the midcourt have opened for some of the Hawks eager and enthusiastic band of newcomers.

Despite plenty of changes across all grades, caused by a few pregnancies and players moving out of the region, Eliades is confident the Hawks can again mount a challenge for a spot in the five.

Despite four consecutive finals campaigns, the Hawks have not made it past the semi-finals - no doubt an extra source of motivation.

"I'm sure we'll be very competitive - I'm very excited about the season," Eliades said.

"But I guess you never really know until you line up in that first round and see what everyone else has got.

"We have Heathcote first-up and they're a team I always worry about. They're a bit of an unknown, but it will tell us where we are pretty quick."

Extra cause for caution, the Saints will already have had one game under their belt, after fronting up the previous week on April 2 against North Bendigo.

The Hawks, who finished last season at 7-6, highlighted by their first win over White Hills in more than five years, will play their first home game on Easter Saturday against Leitchville-Gunbower.

ROUND 1 - April 9

v Heathcote (a)

ROUND 2 - April 16

v Leitchville-Gunbower (h)

ROUND 3 - April 23

Bye

ROUND 4 - April 30

v Lockington-Bamawm United (a)

ROUND 5 - May 7

v Mount Pleasant (h)

ROUND 6 - May 14

v North Bendigo (a)

ROUND 7 - May 21

v Colbinabbin (h)

ROUND 8 - May 28

v Elmore (a)

ROUND 9 - June 4

v White Hills (h)

ROUND 10 - June 11

v Heathcote (h)

ROUND 11 - June 18

v Leitchville-Gunbower (a)

ROUND 12 - June 25

Bye

ROUND 13 - July 2

v Lockington-Bamawm United (h)

ROUND 14 - July 9

v Mount Pleasant (a)

ROUND 15 - July 16

v North Bendigo (h)

ROUND 16 - July 23

v Colbinabbin (a)

ROUND 17 - July 30

v Elmore (h)

ROUND 18 - August 6

v White Hills (a)

HDFNL: COLBINABBIN

LVFNL: BEARS LAGOON-SERPENTINE

HDFNL: ELMORE

LVFNL: BRIDGEWATER

HDFNL: HEATHCOTE

LVFNL: CALIVIL UNITED

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